The engine compartment of the modern vehicle has an appearance that is quite different from that of its predecessors. For decades following the introduction of the motor vehicle, the engine compartment was generally ignored by designers who, instead, focused on the exterior and interior of the vehicle. The engine compartment of the production vehicle (as opposed to the show vehicle) was left entirely to engineers and thus was solely functional.
Nowadays, however, designers are engaged to improve the overall appearance of the engine compartment. The general result of these efforts is the inclusion in the engine compartment of an engine cover that covers at least some of the vehicle's engine. Known covers have a variety of shapes and styles and vary in the degree to which they cover the engine. The engine cover is typically but not exclusively formed from a polymerized material such as soft polyurethane (PUR) foam.
Known methods for attaching the engine cover to the engine itself include fitting stud bolts to strategic locations on the engine, applying appropriate torque to the stud bolts, installing the engine cover having pockets into which the stud bolts are fitted, and running down attachment nuts to secure the engine cover in position. The pockets are formed in the cover to meet the cover's mating component. The pockets are ordinarily wide enough to meet necessary attachment tooling requirements.
The exposed fasteners, such as the nut and stud bolt combination conventionally used to attach the engine cover to the engine, are traditionally left exposed in their respective pockets. The exposed fasteners do not meet current under-hood appearance requirements. Accordingly, a common challenge for the designer of the modern engine cover is the need to combine functionality and serviceability with aesthetics in the relatively small space typically provided in the modern engine compartment. Consideration must therefore be given to ease of installation to maintain competitive assembly costs and ease of removability of the cover while giving assurance that the engine cover effectively provides good aesthetics. Known solutions to attaching the engine cover fail to provide a solution to the challenge faced by exposed fasteners.
As in so many areas of vehicle technology there is always room for improvement related to the design of engine covers and to their methods of installation. A new approach to attaching an engine cover to an engine while maintaining optimum aesthetic appearance is needed to address the problems associated with known arrangements.